Warning: This article contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Taika Watiti’s Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth installment in the Thor franchise, is now in theaters everywhere, and it looks like Watiti has once again knocked the cover off the ball, delivering an action-packed blockbuster film loaded with incredible fight scenes, lots of laughs, and thunderous amounts of love. The latter, in fact, is the central theme of this film that motivates every major character, including the villain Gorr, who is a spectacular addition to the MCU’s catalog of villains. What’s more, Christian Bale plays the sadistic god with skill and tone that only he can bring.
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Gorr the God Butcher’s backstory in Thor: Love and Thunder is similar to that of his in Marvel Comics. He is a religious man who faithfully worships the gods all his life, even as he suffers watching his daughter starve to death. Gorr eventually stumbles upon a gluttonous sinister god who mocks Gorr’s faith and even attempts to kill him, that is, until the Necrosword chooses Gorr as its next wielder. This grants him the god-killing strength he needs to go on his murderous quest for revenge. But why did the Necrosword choose Gorr, and just what does the Necrosword do? We’ve got the answer.
The Sword Sensed His Desire for Revenge
Marvel Studios
In Thor: Love and Thunder, we are given a brief look at Gorr’s backstory, as outlined by Screen Rant, and why he believes that all gods must die. We see Gorr suffering on a desolate planet with his daughter. Harsh weather conditions and a lack of sustenance caused Gorr’s daughter to die. Shortly after this, he hears a voice and follows it, where he stumbles upon the god he has worshipped all his life. After seeing how the gods treat their devoted worshippers, Gorr renounces his god. We hear the sword speaking to Gorr, telling him to use the sword to kill all gods. The sword knew he would be a perfect candidate for god-killing, and the film makes it clear that the sword is sentient. The sword also shows Gorr a vision, and this vision drives his decision-making throughout the film. The sword sensed Gorr’s loss, his pain, and the betrayal he felt from the gods he had worshipped all his life and used that to feed his desire for revenge.
A Double-Edged Sword
When Gorr kills his first god in Thor: Love and Thunder, the god warns him that the sword has “cursed” him. He responds by saying that it did not feel like a curse: at this point in his life, Gorr has nothing left to live for, and the sword gives him the strength he needs to go on his murderous quest. The sword grants Gorr the power to kill gods, and it also grants him the ability to manifest monsters out of shadows, which he does several times throughout Love and Thunder. The sword also allows Gorr to sink into or pop out of shadows. The sword operates similarly in Marvel Comics: The blade is sentient and while it grants its wielder enormous power, it also drains its wielder’s life force. Similar to how Mjolnir drains Jane Foster’s life force making her body unable to fight her cancer, the Necrosword slowly but surely drains the life of whichever poor soul crosses paths with it. Gorr figures this out and gives an incredible monologue about how the weapon empowered her but did nothing to change her fate.
Knowing the ramifications of using the sword does not stop Gorr on his serial god-killing spree. The sword also causes Gorr’s complexion to change throughout the film. As he furthers his quest, the less human he looks, the more monstrous and scar-covered his face becomes. In Marvel Comics, Gorr is redeemed after the sword is destroyed.
Whether the sword will appear again in the MCU is unknown, but it undoubtedly served as an excellent catalyst for Gorr’s desire to kill every deity in existence. The sword has popped up multiple times in Marvel Comics, so it’s possible that the MCU has not seen the last of the God-killing blade. And while Gorr’s death at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder seemed final, if the MCU has taught us anything, there is an infinite Multiverse of opportunities in which Gorr can reappear. Only time will tell.
